The government wants to push through a highly controversial judicial reform with all its might. Mass protests erupt after the dismissal of a minister. How does it go from here?
Mass protests, an announced general strike and the army on alert: the political crisis in Israel has escalated dramatically after the dismissal of Defense Minister Joav Galant for his criticism of a highly controversial judicial reform.
Tens of thousands of people flocked to the streets of Tel Aviv last night to protest against the dismissal ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the reform plans of his right-wing religious government. There were violent clashes with the police, who used water cannons and cavalry squadrons.
President Izchak Herzog called on the government to give in. “For the sake of the unity of the Israeli people, for the sake of responsibility, I urge you to stop legislation immediately,” he said. The people are in deep fear.
Netanyahu plans speech to the nation
Despite massive protests, a core element of Israel’s controversial judicial reform has cleared another hurdle. Parliament’s Judiciary Committee approved the text of the law intended to change the composition of the Judiciary Committee. At the same time, the draft was sent to the plenary for the final reading, as the Israeli media unanimously reported.
The session was repeatedly interrupted by loud shouts from opposition MPs. It was initially unclear when the parliament in Jerusalem would vote on the planned regulations.
According to media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to comment on the controversial reform later today. The exact time was initially unclear. Netanyahu is expected to announce a halt to his right-wing religious government’s controversial plans. The office of the head of government did not want to confirm this at first. Dozens of demonstrators gathered again in front of the parliament in Jerusalem in the morning.
“Don’t give in to anarchy”
Should Netanyahu announce that the plans will be frozen, this could lead to massive protests in his right-wing religious coalition. Far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said protests should not be bowed to. “We must not hold back the reform of the justice system and we must not give in to anarchy,” he wrote on Twitter.
Netanyahu had consulted with several ministers of his coalition during the night. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Israel to protest Netanyahu’s dismissal of Defense Minister Joav Galant. Galant had previously publicly criticized the controversial plans and called on the government to engage in dialogue with its critics.
Netanyahu had dismissed Galant, who belongs to his Likud party, because of his call to halt judicial reform. There have been violent protests for months against the reform, which aims to curtail the influence of the Supreme Court and strengthen the government’s position of power at the expense of the independent judiciary. The previous defense minister called on the government to engage in dialogue with critics on Saturday evening. He warned that national security, and particularly the army’s operational capability, was at stake. For weeks there has been talk of growing resentment in the military, and numerous reservists did not show up for duty in protest against the reform.
The government accuses the Supreme Court of improper interference in political decisions. In the future, Parliament should be able to overturn decisions of the Supreme Court with a simple majority. The prime minister should be better protected against impeachment. Critics see the separation of powers in danger, some even warn against the creeping introduction of a dictatorship.
general strike announced
The umbrella organization of trade unions in Israel has called for a general strike. Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv is also affected.
“I have ordered the airport to stop immediately,” said Ben Gurion Airport Workers’ Union leader Pinchas Idan. Tens of thousands are expected to be affected by the flight changes.
The umbrella organization called Histadrut called for the “historic” labor strike to stop the “madness” of the government’s controversial judicial reform. The strike will begin if Netanyahu does not announce a halt to the reform plans.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
